Karachi’s historical fishermen settlements are still without water

Press Release

KARACHI: A large number of fisherwomen and men on Wednesday took out a rally in fishermen locality in Karachi, demanding to ensure drinking water.
The rally started from Sachal Hall, the Secretariat of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) and reached at Water Pump. After that this gathering turned in to a public meeting where community leaders addressed, seeking water for the locality.
Led by PFF chairperson Muhammad Ali Shah, General Secretary Saeed Baloch, Majeed Motani, Fatima Majeed, Asif Shah and others, the participants of rally were shouting slogans to ensure supply of water, as they accused government authorities of allowing setting up private water hydrants to take water share of Ibrahim Hydri for sell to other areas.
Ibrahim Hydri is the largest locality, comprising 150,000 population is being deprived of their share of water. It is created by certain elements in the government to eprive the people of their water share.
PFF Chairperson Muhammad Ai Shah appealed to the community people to come out to show unity, as it is only way out to get rights.

He said: “Our women, carrying water pots and earthen jars can be seen in the streets from dawn to dusk to fetch water from different places to quench thirst, but officials sitting in local bodies institutions, towns and union councils never took this demand to ensure water to these poor fishermen.”
“This is not for the first time, these protesting women have always raised the slogans to draw attention of certain government officials, and parliamentarians to realise and provide water to these neglected fisher community women, but in vain,” Shah said. There is nobody to listen to these people and remove their grievances,” he added.
“We want to ask the provincial and city governments to stop operating private water hydrants under water mafia, which are depriving these people of their share of water. There is no justification to allow these water hydrants to take water from the pipeline, which is supposed to supply water to this locality,” he said.
“Look at these protesting women and innocent young girls, whose elders have contributed a lot to build this mega city of Karachi long ago. Fishermen are the founders of this city of lights. But in return of this contribution of our elders certain government officials are even depriving us of our water share,” PFF’s daring leader said.
“It is discrimination with these fishermen community localities in Karachi and the issue of water shortage is the example of this approach,” Shah said.
He said an influential person has given bribe to Water Board officials to set up water hydrants in the city, which mostly are taking water from pipelines, which is coming to Ibrahim Hydri.
Saeed Baloch said this particular hydrant has a capacity to story more than three million gallon water, which is the share of this locality and there are hundreds of water tankers to fill water from there and move to other areas.
Irony is that it is open crime and even the courts have already taken notice of these private water hydrants of the city, which are committing crime to take water share of the poor people, like those belonging to Ibrahim Hydri.
The crowd of the community people warned to the government to stop this water hydrant within 48-hours otherwise these women with hundreds of people will themselves take action to restore their water. And in this regard, whatever the community people take action the provincial government and water board authorities will be responsible.
Senior boat captain and community elder Majeed Motani said it has been the issue since 1990 and now it is turned most horrible in the sense that some water mafia people have developed illegal water hydrant, which is depriving these fishermen of their share of water.
“WE are crying for the last 25 years for water but these ruling elites have nothing to do and resolve our issue,” Motani said, adding that the warning should be taken serious as community people will destroy this water hydrant to get water, which is their right as law aboding citizens.